johnrjohnson

First of all, I do not like having words put in the mouth of living people which they never spoke, or given behaviors they never showed. Far too much license is taken with these people, especially with Jerry West. I understand 'dramatic license', but some of this was almost cartoonish.

Second, the casting was mixed. Reilly and Brody are always good. Solomon Hughes was exceptional as Kareem. I had some problems with Quincy Isaiah as Magic, but he did have the smile down. Jason Segel made Paul Westhead sound like Capt. Queeg, although that may have been a direction choice. Jason Clarke is a terrific actor but, again, he did Jerry West no favors with his portrayal.

My biggest problem with this series was the finale. I don't want to spoil this for people, but the final episode does not pay off the title of the series, which is relegated to stills and titles before the credits.

By the way, I thought the sound track was just plain weird. Lots of needle drop. Anachronistic rap. Weird jazz. Often intrusive or inconsistent with the tone of a scene.

Having grown up watching "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin", I pitched a new Rin Tin Tin series back in 2007 which had a loose connection with the original characters. I had partnered with the current owner of the Rin Tin Tin blood line and created a logo for the series using a composite image of Rin Tin Tin IV. The series took place in present day, and was intended for the young kids demo, but with story lines that would resonate with parents. After I had pitched it to a couple of production companies, I received a Cease & Desist letter from Herbert Leonard threatening me with a lawsuit if I continued to pitch the series. I offered to partner with him on the new series but he rejected it. By the time Leonard died a few years later, my partnership with Rinty's owner had gone sour for reasons I had no control over. So, we never got to hear "Yo Rinty!" again.